The Checkers have made a move to solidify their defensive corps, acquiring defenseman Brendon Nash on loan from San Antonio.
Nash, 26, had 19 points (6g, 13a), 55 penalty minutes and a plus-10 rating in 53 games with Hamilton and San Antonio this season. He is the older brother of Riley Nash, who is currently in the NHL with Carolina but could still return to Charlotte this season. The two played together for three years at Cornell University and played against each other for the first time in Charlotte earlier this season.
The addition gives Charlotte an experienced replacement for Marc-Andre Gragnani, who will miss the remainder of the season due to injury. It also gives the Checkers seven defensemen on their current roster, with Nash already in town and available for Thursday's game against Texas.
Originally signed by Montreal as an undrafted free agent out of Cornell in 2010, the Canadiens traded Nash (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) to Florida in exchange for Jason DeSantis on Jan. 3. While in Charlotte, he will remain property of the NHL's Panthers until his one-year contract comes to its conclusion this summer.
Nash, who played two NHL games with Montreal during his rookie season in 2010-11, missed all of the following season with a shoulder injury suffered in training camp. In 128 total AHL games, he has scored 41 points (11g, 38a) to go along with 113 penalty minutes and a plus-31 rating. He also had four assists in 19 games during Hamilton’s 19-game run to the Western Conference Final in 2011.
The addition gives the Checkers three players who played together at Cornell, where the Nash brothers were joined by defenseman Justin Krueger.
